And Update... and CIAS

Toronto is a funny place. There is a... There are entire cultures of people that are one of the following: anti-car and/or anti-bike and/or anti-TTC. And yet, when mid-winter arrives, we go into full-blown trade-show mode. When February rolls around, one of the biggest events in Toronto is held... The Canadian International Auto Show [fka The Toronto Car Show] that draws in thousands hoping to get a look at the next hottest things on the road, and maybe to literally kick a few tires - although, Mini prefers you screech them.




Ironic however, is how there is a nice gap between the Car show and the Annual Bike Show (This weekend... right now... as I type this... and I'm 150km away, in the suburb of Cheektowaga, New York - Far from home, and further from my beloved bicycle. At least, it feels like that cause I hate riding when its cold

Suffice to say, I went to the car show, because A) it was something to do B) I'm looking for a new car and C) it was chance to pull the camera out and fire off a few hundred shots. Of those... I have published 70 to Flickr.

Suffice to say, I walked away from the auto show, with a few pamphlets and a couple of shopping bags - 2 red (kinda crappy) Toyota bags and one fricken sweet graphic Kia bag with the Forte on one side and the Borrego on the other. Kia is really making a push to convert people and honestly, right now, bang for the buck, they offer the best stuff on the road. The bonus is... their cars stop and go when they're supposed to! To be honest... I've been loving my Toyota for the last 4 years, but I am far from inspired when it comes to getting into a new one. Recalls aside, Toyota has mismanaged and craptacularized their cars in the last few years. Most manufacturers have.

Things as simple as making Automatic transmissions and all power group (doors, windows, mirrors) standard in base models. Making more sensible engine options available across the trim... wait, no... scratch that. Trim lines are BS. They shouldn't exist, especially if theres any bit of overlap between one model to the next. A Fully Loaded Compact, should not be the same or more expensive than the Midsize's second-from-base-model. That's just complete bullshit and is just one reason why people aren't interested in certain trims. When you sell 20,000 base models, 10,000 "luxury" models and <5,000 "sport" models.

Anyhow... I had more to say, but Blogspot decided to eat half my entry/rant and messed up the order of my photos. So, suffice to say.... %^&$ it... here's some pics

I would love to have this one... that's for sure. Fully electric roadster that has a top speed 200+ and range of 250km? Hell Yeah.



Yeah... this one too.


Scions are cool too... especially when they're modded up (aren't they all)



The classic car of my dreams... one day... one day...



Autobots... Show Off!


Boing!

That's all for now... I'll probably update again in another 2months! See you then!

It's Carsday!

Yep... once again, time for another mind-numbing installment featuring the topic of cars. This time... with Pics! Bear with me here... It's one thing to see what you're editing. It's another when the finished product is not what you saw in editing. Blogspot apparently is NOT wysiwyg.

First up...

THE BENTLEY CONTINENTAL SUPERSPORT.

Or as one newspaper stupidly called it. The Superport! (Man... does anyone spellcheck anymore? ro heva ew edvolde ntio tsuj shamgni ekys?)

What is so special about the supersport? Not a whole lot when i really think about it. At least, when i say this, i mean this in regards to what it means to 99% of drivers out there. But at the same time, understanding where this new version of the Conti comes from, it means a great deal.


Where does this Bentley come from? It comes from the minds of Porsche/VW AG's best people (i suppose that would be literally... this IS their flagship vehicle, or at least one of them)

So, the specialness of this car is that it is really powerful. As in... 600+hp powerful. But not only is it powerful, it's "Green" too. It is able to run on Biofuel (E85 specifically) as well as regular gas or a combination of the two (so... E40?)

That's a pretty cool thing. I mean, a super luxury car able to run on various types of petroleum-based and like fuel. Too bad it comes what... a year too late? Yeah, i suppose that couldn't be predicted by Bentley, but Kudos for them trying. Lord knows few others have. (I'm waiting to see this treatment applied to the Conti's Italian cousins, Gallardo and Murcielago)

Next... The rise of the Sport Cute... or Cute CUV... No. Let's make that the Cute CUB. Let's face it... There's a disturbing trend beginning in the lower end of the automotive section. This horrible need for manufacturers to produce strange looking vehicles is alarming. I'm not sure, but it seems to have started with explosion in popularity of the Scion xB. Yes, there were other Box-type vehicle things before the xB (Element, Cube), and there will be many after it. It just seems strange that these kinds of cars are becoming popular. Granted, we are a society of materialistic pack-rats and this sort of thing is what we need. Don't get me started on some of the stupidity that I once saw when i worked at a place called Costco - so, i can fully appreciate this explosion of mini-minivans and mini-wagons.


The sad and stupid part is... there are too few of these offered in Canada. If I'm not mistaken, Nissan will be the first to offer one of these boxy little vehicles in Canada. That's unless Kia beats them to that punch. I know the Soul is on sale now, but I have yet to see one on the road.
On a side note - the Soul replaces the Spectra5... so does that mean there will be a similar offering from Hyundai?

My only concern with these small wagovancars is... WINTER. Most of these small cube-wagons lack the power to tackle the snow that we get. Trust me... I've seen it. Actually, I saw it in Lancaster, New York when a Scion xB tried to get into a Tim Horton's parking lot and got stuck AT THE CURB.

And with their smaller footprint and taller dimensions... I have this feeling of impending doom. Still... After having made two or three roadtrips in the last year or so, I would definitely love to have this sort of car myself. I alone appreciate the irony of how I once had a Pontiac Van, and never did any roadtrips in it... yet, with my current ride, I do. That extra space would be a godsend like no other to me.

This summer, I am already planning 2 trips to parts well north of here. The first requiring about 5 hours of driving, and the second requiring 7 hours - Both, involving camping. If anything, a wagon beats a sedan in carrying all the crazy crap that you end up realizing, that has to come with you. And it's in that sort of situation where, I look at the facts and realize... a small Cube would fit the Tesseract's life very well. ;)

Actually... now that I think of it... I think I will consider either the Soul or the Cube for my next vehicle. Why? Well... they both have really kick-ass names. Of course, most of my friends would expect me to get the Cube. They know me too well.


You're probably wondering what sort of stupidity I did see when I worked for Costco. To this day, these sorts of things still amuse me. At the same time, i feel bad for those times where I rolled my eyes at Customers who were helplessly inept in some aspects - Those were the ones that bought things like Big Screen TVs and thought they could fit them into their Dodge Caravan, only to discover that they couldn't - that being a shock to those involved. But the true stupids were... The guy in the BMW 318i, wedging a safety ladder and I think a desk console, through his hatch, right into the front passenger seat. The desk's box sticking out the back end by a good 3feet, the ladder a couple more. Then there was the lady with the Lexus, who proceeded to purchase $1000+ worth of groceries and asked me to shove it all in to her tiny little SC430.
(yes, it did work, but that's not the point). Then... there was the Cookie Lady, who drove an early 80's Stationwagon of some kind, which... as far as i could tell, was no longer roadsafe... yet, we proceeded to stuff over 500lbs of flour and sugar into the back of the wagon. It had no more springs...